R.L. Stine Interview -- aol live chat

R. L. Stine helped TBR's readers (young and old!) get in a GOOSEBUMP-y mood for Halloween when he visited KIDS READS on THE BOOK REPORT on October 27, 1997. Our thrilling interviewer was KIDS READS Executive Editor Kelly Milner Halls (BookpgDino). Our spooky host was MarleneT.

Marlene T: Kelly and Mr. Stine, welcome!

BookpgDino: Welcome R. L. Stine. It's so nice to have you tonight so close to Halloween.

RLStine: Hi everyone. I hope you have some scary questions for me.

BookpgDino: TheBump asks, When did you first thing GOOSEBUMPS were going to be as big a hit as they are today?

RLStine: We had no idea what would happen with GOOSEBUMPS. We originally signed to do 6 books. It took several months for GOOSEBUMPS to become a hit. When it did happen, none of us could believe it.

BookpgDino: Why do you think so many of your readers like to be scared by GOOSEBUMPS?

RLStine: I think everyone loves a good scare --- especially when you know you're safe at the same time. I like to think of GOOSEBUMPS as safe scares. You know everything is going to turn out okay in the end. Or maybe not....

BookpgDino: And that's the fun of it.

Question: Did you expect your great books to become a show on TV?

RLStine: Kids kept writing to me and they said I had to make GOOSEBUMPS into a TV show. I've been so happy with the show. I think some of the shows are scarier than the books. A lot of times the TV shows don't follow the books. But I think it's fun to see what other writers do with the stories.

BookpgDino: Do you have a favorite episode?

RLStine: My favorite episodes so far are "Stay Out of the Basement" and "The Blob that Ate Everyone One."

Question: From SwatCatz97: I really liked "Attack of the Mutants" Will you ever make a part 2 to that book?

RLStine: I might do a sequel to ATTACK OF THE MUTANTS if I can think of a good story. The next sequel coming out is GOOSEBUMPS 62: MONSTER BLOOD FOUR. This time, Monster Blood is blue. There's also something exciting coming up. I'm not even supposed to talk about this. But I'm giving you all a sneak preview. Starting in December, we are changing the name of GOOSEBUMPS. It will be called GOOSEBUMPS, SERIES 2000. And we are starting all over again with number one. These books are much scarier. Kids have been writing to me asking me to make the books scarier, and that's what we're going to do with GOOSEBUMPS 2000. Number One is called CRY OF THE CAT. And I think you can tell from the cover that these books are going to be very creepy.

BookpgDino: What a WONDERFUL announcements. And we heard it first here on AOL! When is the relaunch?

RLStine: The middle of December. From then on, GOOSEBUMPS will be known as GOOSEBUMPS, SERIES 2000. We hope they are 2000 times scarier!

Question: From CalebPW: Does your teenage son ever help you with the plots? And, whatever happened to the Fear Street Books?

RLStine: The FEAR STREET books come out every month. This month the book is called THE BEST FRIEND 2. I had to write a sequel to THE BEST FRIEND because everyone hated the ending to the first book. I keep writing new FEAR STREETS every month. Starting next summer, watch for a big change in FEAR STREET. We will be starting FEAR STREET SENIORS. My son gave me the ending for a FEAR STREET called SWITCHED. That's one of my favorite FEAR STREETS.

BookpgDino: Bob, Joshua --- our message board winner --- asks, "You are so good at scaring people with your books, but what scares you?"

RLStine: Just about everything! I once wrote a GOOSEBUMPS about these kids who find a sponge under the sink. It's just a sponge but it brings them horrible luck. So you see, I'm the kind of person who can find a sponge scary.

Question: Mr. Stine, do you consider yourself a role model?

RLStine: I never thought of myself that way until a kid asked me that question a few years ago. All I really want to do is entertain kids. And I hope that I show kids that reading can be a lot of fun.

BookpgDino: Bob, you've recently seen something wonderful happen in Florida's Walt Disney World. Can you tell us about it?

RLStine: This month, we opened GOOSEBUMPS Horror Land at Walt Disney World MGM Studios. What a thrill! I went down to Florida for the grand opening. We had 1800 people there. From now on, a live GOOSEBUMPS show will be performed 5 times a day and there is a GOOSEBUMPS fun house with a scary hall of mirrors and a place to have your photo taken on a GOOSEBUMPS cover. I will be down at Disney World for Halloween. We're having a GOOSEBUMPS parade. I will be signing books. I'll be at the GOOSEBUMPS attraction. It will be this Friday and Saturday. I hope to see some of my readers there! What a thrill to have GOOSEBUMPS in the same place as Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and the Muppets.

Question: I love your books i have them all, and I just wanted to ask you something. How many more books do you think you'll write?

RLStine: I'll keep writing them as long as you keep reading them!

Question: When did you know you wanted to write scary stories?

RLStine: I'm signed up to write 3 more years of GOOSEBUMPS and 2 more years of FEAR STREET. I started writing when I was 9 years old and I've been writing ever since. I always loved scary stories, but I didn't start writing them until about 10 years ago. I used to write funny books. But now I'm scary all the time.

BookpgDino: I love the excerpts from your early writings in your autobiography. What inspired you to write an autobiography?

RLStine: A lot of kids wrote to me and asked if I had a scary childhood. Many kids write to me and ask are the things in your books true? Did they really happen to you? So I thought that I would answer the questions. That's why I wrote IT CAME FROM OHIO. The paperback edition of IT CAME FROM OHIO is coming out next month.

Question: Are you going to make any more night of the living dummy books?

RLStine: Yes, I am. GOOSEBUMPS 2000 #2 is called RIDE THE LIVING DUMMY. SLAPPY RETURNS!

Question: WHAT DOES THE R. L. IN YOUR NAME STAND FOR?

RLStine: It stands for Robert Lawrence. But everyone calls me Bob.

Question: How did you get you idea for Fear Hall?

RLStine: I always thought the college campus dorm was a scary place, so I decided to write a book that took place in college.

BookpgDino: You seem to be a creature of the television era. What shows most influenced your writing?

RLStine: I loved the Twilight Zone. Rod Serling is a real hero of mine. I never missed that show. I think it was a big influence on me.

BookpgDino: Did it ever give you nightmares?

RLStine: No, I never get nightmares from this stuff. I never have nightmares. I have the most boring dreams. That's really true. One night, I dreamed I was making a bologna sandwich. That was a pretty exciting dream for me.

Question: Hi Mr. Stine! I'm 15 years old and I've grown up reading your terrific books...I was wondering when you first knew that you wanted to be an author, if people laughed at your will to become one, and if you have any advice for teens who also adore writing?

RLStine: I think I knew when I was 9 that I wanted to be a writer. My teachers never encouraged me. I used to make little magazines and pass them around the class. The teachers were always taking them away. I always got in trouble because of my writing. But I loved it so much, I didn't care. My advice to kids who want to be writers is to read as much as you can. Read all kinds of books because you pick up all different ways of saying things. And don't worry about trying to write literature. I hate it when authors come to schools and tell the kids write from your heart. I don't think I've ever written a single word from my heart. I write to entertain the audience. I've written all kinds of things. I've written bubble gum cards and coloring books. And each time I tried to write the best I could. If you really love to write, you can write anything.

Question: How do we find More & More Tales from Goosebumps- They are hard to find in stores?? My son is a big fan of yours and your books have made all the difference in his reading or not.

RLStine: I think you just have to ask the stores. Many stores will order it for you.

Question: I went to where you were at Eastland mall in Columbus. It was crowded. How is your dog, Nadine?

RLStine: Nadine is fine. She is asleep under my desk right now.

BookpgDino: What kind of dog?

RLStine: Nadine is a King Charles Spaniel. You can see a picture of Nadine in the back of A GHOSTS OF FEAR STREET book called MONSTER DOG. We had a great crowd at Eastland Mall --- more than 2200 kids. That was so much fun for me to visit my hometown.

Question: Are you a sports fan? If so, which teams do you like?

RLStine: Growing up in Ohio, I am a big football fan. I plan to watch the Monday Night game after we finish here tonight. I'm a big New York Giants fan. It's unbelievable how well they're doing, since they are really so bad!

Question: What was your first book?

RLStine: My very first book was called HOW TO BE FUNNY. It was a book about how to get big laughs at the dinner table and in school. Parents hated this book. My first scary book was called BLIND DATE. The first Goosebumps is called WELCOME TO DEAD HOUSE.

BookpgDino: Wait, wait...why did parents hate HOW TO BE FUNNY?

RLStine: Because it had horrible advice!

Question: What was your scariest Halloween costume?

RLStine: Halloween was a painful time for me when I was a kid. I wanted to be something scary, but my parents bought me the duck costume. I was so embarrassed! We were very poor and I couldn't buy a new costume every year. So I had to be a duck for years. I remembered this when I wrote THE HAUNTED MASK and I gave Carlie Beth a duck costume in that book.

Question: Does your son help you at all with your writing? How old is your son?

RLStine: My son, Matt, is 17. He doesn't help me much. And he has never read one of my books. You can see Matt on the cover of the FEAR STREET called PERFECT DATE. Do you believe that he has never read one of the books? He does it just to make me crazy!

Question: Are you thinking of coming out with any movies?

RLStine: Yes, we have plans for a GOOSEBUMPS movie and a FEAR STREET movie. And maybe a movie based on THE BEAST.

Question: What is your favorite book?

RLStine: My new favorite is a two-part GOOSEBUMPS 2000 that will be out early next year. It is the first two-part Goosebumps. It's called INVASION OF THE BODY SQUEEZERS.

BookpgDino: Bob, what do you do for fun? Are you always writing?

RLStine: I spend a lot of time writing! These days, I write 6 days a week. But I have time for fun. I love watching old movies, walking all around New York, taking Nadine for long walks in the park, and reading old mysteries.

Question: Mr. Stine, are you online all the time? How can your fans write to you?

RLStine: The best place to write to me is: Scholastic, Inc., 555 Broadway, New York, NY 10012. They send all my mail to me every day.

BookpgDino: How much fan mail do you get?

RLStine: These days mail is amazing. My mail man hates me. I get about 2000 letters a week. Every person who writes to me gets an answer.

RLStine: I'd like to tell everyone about the Disney cruise that I will be doing in August of 1998. This is a special Goosebumps cruise on the new Disney cruise ship. A week at Disney World and then a scary cruise. I'll be there for some scary fun. There's still time for your parents to sign up. They should contact Disney for details.

Question: Will you write anymore adult books like Superstitious?

RLStine: Right now, I'm having too much fun with the GOOSEBUMPS 2000 books. Maybe sometime in the future, I'll try another adult book. But not for now.

BookpgDino: Bob, thank you so much. We've enjoyed this discussion immensely. One last question. What legacy would you like to leave behind to the world?

RLStine: I guess it's legacy enough to have terrified the kids of America. I'm very proud of that. I hope everyone has a very scary Halloween.

BookpgDino: After this great chat, how could they miss? Thank you so much! And thank YOU for coming!

RLStine: Thanks to everybody.

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